Looking at their cap situation, couldn't they have offered Harden the max (which is not the maximum max since it's his first extension coming off the deal he signed as a rookie under the new CBA), and then amnesty Perkins and let Ibaka walk after this year? They could then draft a seasoned big man like Withey with their pick and follow Miami's example and signed power forwards/centers to minimum deals this offseason to go along with Collison... guys like Krstic, Dalembert, Jason Collins, Jeff Adrien, Greg Smith, Warrick, etc.
there was a very clear decision that they wanted to keep Ibaka because he was young, athletic, big, and everything they wanted/needed. So they wanted to figure out how to lock up Durant, Westbrook, and Ibaka and then go from there..
Keeping Ibaka was probably smart. Having an elite shotblocker makes a huge difference for their defense, and now Ibaka plays pretty good offense as well.
You can't have 4 max players in today's NBA, especially for a small market team like OKC. They picked Ibaka over Harden.
They were willing to go into luxury tax for Harden (offered a little under max each year), but Presti wasn't willing to give a 3rd wing player a max contract.
Ibaka signed early for $52 million, which was a steal. IMO, they could have kept Harden by amnestying Perkins this summer. Daryl Morey should pay for Sam Presti's vacation each and every year to thank him for the gift. I don't even want to think how this season would have been without getting Harden. Just be thankful.
Ibaka over Harden anyday. Any GM in the the NBA would have said the same thing, a star 7-footer is worth way more than a star 6'4" guard.
If they didn't have Westbrook and/or Durant, they would have been fools to not choose Harden, but for the situation they were in, Ibaka was definitely the right choice.
Nice exaggeration of height to help your argument. 1. Ibaka is not a star. Very good player, but nowhere near a star. 2. 7 foot? Lmao. He measures 6'10'' with shoes.
100% agree - Ibaka is a beast.... won't be a popular opinion, but I'd trade Harden for Ibaka straight up. Supply vs demand.
So who is going to replace Martin when Ibaka is making 12million next year? I don't see Martin taking a big pay cut.
I know... a little out there... but hey, the guy plays at BOTH ends of the court. And considering how he's only played basketball a few years and how his game has grown by leaps and bounds, I think his upside is way high.
Under the current CBA, extensions to rookie contracts can be a maximum of 4 years. You are allowed, however, to extend 1 player for 5 years. Not only can you only extend 1 player for 5 years, you can't even acquire another team's 5 year extension player if you still have your 5 year guy. You can only have one 5 year rookie extension player on your roster. The Thunder had already used their 5 year rookie extension on Westbrook so they were unable to offer Harden a 5 year max deal regardless of their cap space. The net result is that OKC could only offer Harden a 4 year/$58M deal while the Rockets were able to give him a 5 year/$80M deal (by using the rookie 5 year extension). If Harden was set on getting a 5 year deal then the only possible way the Thunder could have kept him is by first getting rid of Westbrook. The rule applies for the life of the contracts so Houston wouldn't be able to trade Harden to OKC (or OKC trade Westbrook to Houston) since you can't have two 5 year rookie extensions on the same roster. It's the same decision that Minnesota had to make. Who gets the 5 year extension, Love or Rubio? One guy will get an $80M deal and the other will get a $58M deal.
That doesn't mean you trade arguably a Top 5 piece for the future for some dude who has "way high" upside. You wouldn't trade Harden for Andre Drummond, would you? Ibaka's real good, obviously, but he's nowhere near a star, and he definitely isn't a top option on a team. Not a chance. Step back from the ledge. Harden's a stud. Enjoy the man.
